Extension door handle



y 1967 M. w. LINDQUIST ETAL 3,317,231

EXTENS ION DOOR HANDLE Filed Oct. 50, 1964 INVENTORS CLIFFORD PE DERSON 6 [lg/gowns W. LINDQUIST ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,317,231 EXTENSION DOOR HANDLE Morris W. Lindquist, 14461 Linnhurst Ave, Detroit, Mich. 48205, and Clifford Pederson, 3670 Thompson Road, Duluth, Minn. 55811 Filed Oct. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 407,702 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-336.3)

This invention relates to an extension handle for a door latch, and more specifically to a device for enabling small children who cannot reach the door handle to operate the door latch.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device of the type described which is of economical construction, which can be applied to a door in a simple manner and which is easily operable by a child to operate the door latch and thereby enable the child to open the door.

The device of the present invention generally comprises a rod journalled on the face of the door provided with the handle to be operated, the rod being fashioned with a laterally oflset portion at its upper and lower ends. The laterally offset portion at the lower end of the rod serves as a handle adapted to be grasped by a child and the laterally offset portion at the upper end of the rod is operatively associated with the latch handle such that when the handle at the lower end of the rod is grasped and rotated in a horizontal plane in the door opening direction, the laterally offset portion at the upper end of the rod actuates the latch. The construction of the laterally offset portion at the upper end of the rod is such that, although it is operatively disposed in relation to the latch handle, it does not interfere with the manual actuation of the latch in the conventional manner.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outside door provided with the extension handle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the extension handle.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the extension handle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and showing the position in which it is mounted on a door relative to the actuating member of a push-button door latch.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing a modified form of extension handle designed for use with a door latch of the type that is operated by a pivoted handle rather than a push-button.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the extension handle shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional door is illustrated at 10, the door being hinged along its edge 12 and having a latch 14 at its opposite edge for retaining the door in a closed position. As is conventional, latch 14 is located approximately at the vertical mid-portion of the door. The door illustrated in FIG. 1 is an outside door, and is adapted to be swung outwardly out of the plane of the drawing for opening the door. Accordingly, the latch 14 includes a handle 16 that can be grasped by the user in operating the latch so as to open the door. The specific latch shown in FIG. 1 is of the type which includes a push-button 18 which is adapted to be depressed for retracting the latch bolt 20. Thus the door shown in FIG. 1 is adapted to be opened by depressing button 18 and pulling on handle 16.

The extension handle for enabling operation of latch 14 by a child is generally designated 22. This handle comprises a rod 23 having a straight portion 24 which is mounted on the outer face of door by means of a pair of brackets 26. Each bracket 26 is in the form of a right angle having one flange adapted to be secured to the door, as by means of screws, in openings 28. The other flange 27 of each bracket 26 extends horizontally, as illustrated. Rod 23 is retained in position on brackets 26 by means of washers 30 and cotter pins 32. These fastening devices are arranged so that one washer 30 bears against the top face of flange 27 on the upper bracket 26 and the other washer 30 bears against the bottom face of the horizontal flange 27 on the lower bracket 26. Cotter pins 32 in turn bear against washers 30 and positively locate the rod 24 in a vertical direction. Adjacent its lower end, the straight portion 24 of rod 23 has a right angle bend as at 34 forming a horizontally extending handle 36. As is apparent in FIGS. 3 and 4, handle 36 is slightly curved to facilitate grasping of the handle. Handle 36 is located at approximately the lower quarter section of the door.

At its upper end, the straight portion 24 of rod 23 is likewise bent at a right angle to form a lateral projection 38 extending in a direction outwardly away from the plane of the door. Adjacent its outer end, projection 38 is bent, as at 40, into a plane parallel to the plane of the door and the direction opposite the direction in which handle 36 extends the straight portion from 24. Preferably, the extension handle 22 is mounted on door 10 so that the end 40 of the offset portion 38 is laterally offset from the vertical line of the push button 18 of the door latch. With this arrangement, it will be observed, by reference to FIG. 3, that the extension handle does not interfere in any manner with the manual actuation of push button 18 in the conventional manner to operate the latch. However, when handle 36 is grasped and rotated in a horizontal plane clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3, the end 40 of the lateral extension 38 swings into engagement with push button 18 to depress the push button. When this occurs, the latch is released and the door may be opened by simply pulling on handle 36 in a direction away from the door.

The arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 only in that the extension handle construction is modified to accommodate door latches which are operated by pivoted handles, as distinguished from push buttons. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4, the latch 42 is adapted to be operated by a handle 44 supported as at 46 for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane. With this type of door latch, the rod is fashioned with a similar straight portion 24 and also with a laterally offset portion 48 which extends vertically and which is connected with the upper end of the straight portion of the rod by means of an angularly inclined arm 50. As is illustrated in FIG..4, the extension 48 and the inclined arm 50 are disposed such that when the handle portion 36 assumes a position generally parallel to the plane of the door, the extension 48 projects upwardly between the face of the door and the inner side of handle 44. Thus, with the arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, when handle 36 is pivoted in a horizontal plane in a direction away from the plane of the door, extension 48 revolves about the axis of rod 24 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4, so as to engage handle 44 and thus pivot the latch handle about its axis 46 in a direction away from the plane of the door to release the latch. A continued pull on handle 36 will thus release the latch and open the door.

As described above, with reference to the extension handle shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the device of the invention in no way interferes with the conventional manual operation of a push button type door latch. In the arrange-ment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the extension 48 engages the inner side of door handle 44 and is so located that the handle can be grasped by an adult in the conventional way and operated to release the latch.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided an extension handle for enabling a small child to operate a door latch which he could not otherwise reach. In view of the fact that the entire device comprises a single rotatable member journalled on a pair of brackets, it will be appreciated that the device can be manufactured economically and can be installed on any door with a minimum of difliculty. Furthermore, it will be noted that the operation of the extension handle is not only simple, but such as will be obvious to a small child.

We claim:

1. In a door of the type having a latch adjacent the free edge of the door at generally the vertical mid portion thereof, said latching including a manually depressible release button, said button being depressible inwardly perpendicular to the plane of the door to release the latch, means for enabling a small child to operate the latch comprising a rod on said door extending vertically downwardly to adjacent the lower portion of the door, means supporting said rod on said door for rotation about the vertical axis of the rod and for preventing the rod from shifting upwardly or downwardly, the vertical axis of the rod being oil-set laterally toward the hinged edge of the door from said button, said rod having an arm at its upper end comprising a hand grip portion spaced from the plane of the door and extending horizontally toward the hinged edge of the door, said hand grip portion being adapted to be rotated in a direction away from the plane of the door to operate the latch, the upper end of the rod having an arm extending outwardly from the plane of the door and laterally toward said button, said upper arm terminating in a free end which is aligned horizontally with the button, said free end of the upper arm being spaced laterally from the button toward the hinged edge of the door so as to not interfere with normal depression of the button and being spaced outwardly from the plane of the door a distance greater than the outer free end of the button, the free end of the upper arm being spaced radially from the axis of rotation of the rod approximately the same distance as the outer free end of the button such that when the hand grip portion is rotated in a direction away from the plane of the door the upper arm swings in a direction toward the plane of the door and the free end thereof engages and depresses the button to release the latch.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper arm comprises two portions, a first portion extending in a direction outwardly away from the plane of the door and a second portion connected to the outer end of the first portion and extending generally parallel to the plane of the door when the hand grip portion is disposed adjacent the plane of the door.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 813,343 2/1906 Bartlett 292-254 X 1,290,145 1/1919 Evered et a1. 1,552,462 9/1925 Bailey 292-255 1,833,254 11/1931 Linder 292-202 3,144,268 8/1964 Rowe 292-202 3,195,393 7/1965 Uozumi -8.1

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

R. E. MOORE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DOOR OF THE TYPE HAVING A LATCH ADJACENT THE FREE EDGE OF THE DOOR AT GENERALLY THE VERTICAL MID PORTION THEREOF, SAID LATCHING INCLUDING A MANUALLY DEPRESSIBLE RELEASE BUTTON, SAID BUTTON BEING DEPRESSIBLE INWARDLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE DOOR TO RELEASE THE LATCH, MEANS FOR ENABLING A SMALL CHILD TOOPERATE THE LATCH COMPRISING A ROD ON SAID DOOR EXTENDING VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY TO ADJACENT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DOOR, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID ROD ON SAID DOOR FOR ROTATION ABOUT THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THE ROD AND FOR PREVENTING THE ROD FROM SHIFTING UPWARDLY OR DOWNWARDLY, THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THE ROD BEING OFF-SET LATERALLY TOWARD THE HINGED EDGE OF THE DOOR FROM SAID BUTTON, SAID ROD HAVING AN ARM AT ITS UPPER END COMPRISING A HAND GRIP PORTION SPACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE DOOR AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY TOWARD THE HINGED EDGE OF THE DOOR, SAID HAND GRIP PORTION BEING ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE PLANE OF THE DOOR TO OPERATE THE LATCH, THE UPPER END OF THE ROD HAVING AN ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE PLANE OF THE DOOR AND LATERALLY TOWARD SAID BUTTON, SAID UPPER ARM TERMINATING IN A FREE END WHICH IS ALIGNED HORIZONTALLY WITH THE BUTTON, SAID FREE END OF THE UPPER ARM BEING SPACED LATERALLY FROM THE BUTTON TOWARD THE HINGED EDGE OF THE DOOR SO AS TO NOT INTERFERE WITH NORMAL DEPRESSION OF THE BUTTON AND BEING SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM THE PLANE OF THE DOOR A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE OUTER FREE END OF THE BUTTON, THE FREE END OF THE UPPER ARM BEING SPACED RADIALLY FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE ROD APPROXIMATELY THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE OUTER FREE END OF THE BUTTON SUCH THAT WHEN THE HAND GRIP PORTION IS ROTATED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE PLANE OF THE DOOR THE UPPER ARM SWINGS IN A DIRECTION TOWARD THE PLANE OF THE DOOR AND THE FREE END THEREOF ENGAGES AND DEPRESSES THE BUTTON TO RELEASE THE LATCH. 